Friday, September 17, 2010

Grace-Providence Church


The road leading into the Mobjack vicinity rolls past majestic old farmhouses, quaint little homesteads and beautiful fields full of this and that until finally it comes to a stop where the East and North Rivers converge and spill out into the Mobjack Bay. There, in the cutest little neighborhood, lives Grace-Providence United Methodist Church, shown above. See how close it is to the water?

Instantly drawn to this church's beauty which was punctuated by the brilliant sunshine, I immediately pulled over on the side of the road and started snapping away.

Then, realizing this was not going to be a quick pit stop, I convinced myself to get back into the car and pull up into the church's parking lot.

(This was mainly to avoid all the awkwardness that comes with being parked on the side of the road. People tend to gawk, not that I saw a single soul down there. But trust me. They gawk, then they glare. They think I'm up to no good, so I hold my camera way up high and smile while repeating over and over to myself, "The road is public property. The road is public property," until paranoia officially sets in, and I wonder who they're calling on their cell phone because no doubt it's the sheriff. But that's not what I'm talking about here today.)

(Anyway.)

But guess what? There is no parking lot at Grace-Providence Church. Not a single one.

At first this surprised me, but only for a second.

You see, there really is absolutely no reason to drive to this church if you live in this delightful little neighborhood. There are only about 3 streets lined with homes, and not a single house is more than a cartwheel or two away.

(If you're not into doing cartwheels, then just know it's within walking distance. If you can maneuver around WalMutant (with or without a scooter), you can walk to Grace-Providence from any of these homes. Of course any day now I expect to see a train inside WalMutant to carry passengers from the front door to the milk and egg section, for example. But hopefully that won't be in my life time, and if it is--even if I have two broken legs-- I will crawl on my elbows through that store before I ride a scooter or a train through there. I just want to make that clear. Thank you. But of course this isn't what I wanted to talk about either.)

(Anyway.)



Below is a shot of the church from the opposite end of the road, close to the water.


This church was just loaded with surprises, one of which is the stained glass window below. The nautical theme is so appropriate for a waterfront church overlooking the site of an old wharf.



In closing, I'd just like to say that I predict a transit system inside WalMutant within the next decade I loved studying the exterior of Grace-Providence Church and hope to explore the interior some day soon.

Very soon.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Geup7o7BQ&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5n8d2u7LVc&feature=related


far

sorry,I had too!

deborah said...

A beautiful church in a wonderful setting! Loving the steeple/bell tower and stained glass windows.
Can't wait to see where your trespassing..um..no..journeys take you next!

wv aspai: what happens when you actually are caught during a photo op..

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing that....Mathews has a lot of unique and beautiful places!

Hope you've had a great week and TGIF!!

Middle Sis

Anonymous said...

OK, so I just went back and read yesterday's blog....how did The Triangle of Awesomeness do? I love that, by the way! I absolutely love it.

-Middle Sis

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

far-You are now the official audio person for this blog. I laughed at the first one and adore the second one. Thank you.

deborah-Hopefully I'll get out for a little journey today if time permits.

Middle Sis-The Triangle of Awesomeness came through. Ware won 3-0. CB Daughter scored the first goal (with an assist from Another Member of the Triangle); then Another Member of the Triangle scored the other two, assisted by the third member. Great game, although a bit frustrating at times. It felt like nobody was moving the ball or going to the ball, just standing around waiting for it to come magically to them. But what do I know, I am just a frustrated spectator who never got to play soccer but who wants to as an adult even though she's way over the hill...but they did well for their first game.

Have a great Friday and fantastic weekend.

P.S. MHS football tonight is at home.

Meg McCormick said...

Oh my goodness, so beautiful! I love that it's next to the water. And I bet it's like my little UM Church that I grew up in - it was along a country road, surrounded by corn fields, next to a dairy farm, and the "parking lot" was really just a wider spot on the road where we pulled our cars in, far enough to leave room for passing tractors.

Caution/Lisa said...

I am laughing very enthusiatically at the mass transit system inside Walmart. I do believe that you're right about that.

Now I want to attend that church. Maybe I could go to seminary and pastor it?? I would promise to keep my sermons very short.

Jamie said...

Glad they won the game! I love that stained glass window, it would look lovely in my living room.

Can you believe I am in the mountains of West Virginia on the border with Ohio and I have wireless??? I don't have wireless in my house...

Trisha said...

That is a cute little church! How fun that there is no parking lot.

I agree with you and WalMart.

Kay L. Davies said...

Fabulous that there's no parking lot.
Love your blog. I was sent here by Daryl after commenting on one of the Overheards, which she said she got from you. Spacebook and flaptop have me giggling all over again this morning!!

Kay
Alberta, Canada

Mental P Mama said...

Now I feel like I should do cartwheels to church....